Steve Clark Hall
Encyclopedia
Commander
Steve Clark Hall (born 9 November 1953) is a retired United States Navy
submarine officer and documentary film
maker. He is the first openly gay senior U. S. Navy officer who is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
. He was nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy by Senator John Tunney of California. He graduated with honors in the Class of 1975 with a Bachelors of Science in Systems Engineering
and rowed all four years on the Navy Lightweight Crew team. After completing his 20 year career as a nuclear submarine
r, he retired from Naval Service and returned to his home in the Castro District of San Francisco.
in Vallejo, California
. His sea tours included USS Haddock (SSN-621)
, Engineer Officer of USS Michigan (SSBN-727), as the Submarine Liaison Officer for Commander, Carrier Group THREE
based at NAS Alameda deploying on the carriers USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
, as Executive Officer of USS Permit (SSN-594)
and as the Commanding Officer
of the nuclear submarines USS Greenling (SSN-614)
(1992–94) and USS Drum (SSN-677)
(1994–95). His only shore assignment was as the Executive Officer
(ashore) at the Navy Program Management Office, Sunnyvale, California
.
Chapter. In July 2007, Hall began the Out of Annapolis Project which included a detailed study of the LGBT alumni of the Naval Academy. He produced and directed the documentary film by the same name, which opened at the SVA
Theater in New York in June 2010.
In January 2009, after a front-page article in the Annapolis Capital
brought significant awareness to the Out of Annapolis Project, Hall worked with LGBT alumni of the U.S. Military Academy to establish an association similar to USNA Out, Knights Out
.
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Steve Clark Hall (born 9 November 1953) is a retired United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
submarine officer and documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker. He is the first openly gay senior U. S. Navy officer who is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Biography
Steve Clark Hall was born in San Francisco and attended high school in Eureka, CaliforniaEureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
. He was nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy by Senator John Tunney of California. He graduated with honors in the Class of 1975 with a Bachelors of Science in Systems Engineering
Systems engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed over the life cycle of the project. Issues such as logistics, the coordination of different teams, and automatic control of machinery become more...
and rowed all four years on the Navy Lightweight Crew team. After completing his 20 year career as a nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
r, he retired from Naval Service and returned to his home in the Castro District of San Francisco.
Naval career
After graduation from Annapolis, Steve Clark Hall entered the nuclear submarine training pipeline at the Naval Nuclear Power SchoolNuclear Power School
Nuclear Power School is a technical school operated by the U.S. Navy in Goose Creek, South Carolina to train enlisted sailors, officers, KAPL civilians and Bettis civilians for shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance of surface ships and submarines in the U.S...
in Vallejo, California
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. His sea tours included USS Haddock (SSN-621)
USS Haddock (SSN-621)
USS Haddock , last of the s, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named after the haddock .The contract to build her was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi on 24 August 1960 and her keel was laid down on 24 April 1961. She was launched on 21 May 1966 sponsored...
, Engineer Officer of USS Michigan (SSBN-727), as the Submarine Liaison Officer for Commander, Carrier Group THREE
Carrier Strike Group Three
Carrier Strike Group Three, abbreviated CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3, is one of six U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. U.S...
based at NAS Alameda deploying on the carriers USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
USS Enterprise , formerly CVA-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". At , she is the longest naval vessel in the world...
and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
The USS Carl Vinson is the third United States Navy Nimitz class supercarrier and is named after Carl Vinson, a Congressman from Georgia. Carl Vinson's callsign is "Gold Eagle". It played host to the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier on 11/11/11 between the University of North...
, as Executive Officer of USS Permit (SSN-594)
USS Permit (SSN-594)
USS Permit became the lead ship of her class of submarine when the former lead ship, was lost. She was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the permit, a food fish, often called "round pompano," found in waters from North Carolina to Brazil.The contract to build her was...
and as the Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the nuclear submarines USS Greenling (SSN-614)
USS Greenling (SSN-614)
USS Greenling , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the greenling, an elongate, fine-scaled fish found from Kamchatka to California...
(1992–94) and USS Drum (SSN-677)
USS Drum (SSN-677)
USS Drum , a Sturgeon class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the drum, also known as the croaker or hardhead, any of various fishes of the Sciaenidae family, capable of making a drumming noise and best known on the Atlantic coast of North...
(1994–95). His only shore assignment was as the Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
(ashore) at the Navy Program Management Office, Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
.
Post navy public service
After departing the U.S. Navy, Hall continued his public service, serving on the boards of various non-profit public benefit corporations including the Castro Area Planning + Action and the San Francisco Friends of City Planning. He served as President of the Castro/Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association in 2008.The Out of Annapolis Project
Hall was one of 35 LGBT Naval Academy alumni who sought official recognition from the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association as the USNA OutUSNA Out
USNA Out is an American non-profit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Alumni of the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland...
Chapter. In July 2007, Hall began the Out of Annapolis Project which included a detailed study of the LGBT alumni of the Naval Academy. He produced and directed the documentary film by the same name, which opened at the SVA
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
Theater in New York in June 2010.
In January 2009, after a front-page article in the Annapolis Capital
The Capital
The Capital is a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, Maryland. It serves the city as well as all of Anne Arundel County and neighboring Kent Island in Queen Anne's County. It is an evening newspaper during the week and offers morning delivery on the weekend. Philip Merrill was the publisher...
brought significant awareness to the Out of Annapolis Project, Hall worked with LGBT alumni of the U.S. Military Academy to establish an association similar to USNA Out, Knights Out
Knights Out
Knights Out is an organization of West Point alumni, staff and faculty who support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to serve openly in the U.S. military and who wish to educate young officers about the issues and contributions of LGBT troops...
.
See also
- U.S. Naval Academy
- USNA OutUSNA OutUSNA Out is an American non-profit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Alumni of the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland...
- Knights OutKnights OutKnights Out is an organization of West Point alumni, staff and faculty who support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to serve openly in the U.S. military and who wish to educate young officers about the issues and contributions of LGBT troops...
- Sexual orientation and the United States military